Distant education and learning has many advantages, but there are some setbacks. Like many other systems, distant learning systems can be very complex and because of this, it can be costly. Participants wanting to use this kind of idea may not even be able to afford to set it up for themselves!
The idea isn’t just pricey to setup, though. These types of systems have many other disadvantages that apply both to instructors and to the participants as well. There have been many criticisms over such programs. The disadvantages can include:
- It will require a significant amount of advance planning, which will mean all instructors and students will need to give up a lot of time and sacrifices will need to be made by both parties.
- Occasionally, this kind of system may include some hidden costs. For some, you will need to then order more required materials to keep it up and running. This can cause extra shipping, insurance and handling costs of course.
- Unlike the traditional classroom situation, distant learning programs will not offer immediate criticism or feedback. Students will need to wait for instructors to be present to receive any comments or grades.
- In some cases, students will be required to return to a classroom regardless to complete practical examinations, such as in medical practices. This can defeat the object of the system entirely.
- Although not being in a classroom situation, you will still need to meet coursework deadlines consistently. There is no real escape!
- Sometimes a student will forget to make a post that was required by his or her professor/instructor. It can be difficult to remember what work you must submit and when, when using an online learning program.
- Some participants will find it hard to fit working hours into their own personal timetable, making it far more difficult to meet coursework deadlines due to lack of time.
- Occasionally a specific course can be extremely difficult to pass as the student is essentially teaching themselves. Sometimes, a student may need to hire a tutor, which can defeat the object completely.
- For the more auditory learners, students will find it hard to learn due to not really having any hearing stimulation! Students will be limited to their own computer and hardware, delivering only videos and sound clips.
- There have also been reports before, of distant learning qualifications not being recognized by some employers. Sometimes you will not be accepted due to having a distant qualification rather than a traditional one.
Of course such an online program can affect a student’s ability to speak and communication to other students. All participants will miss out on the traditional social life of a student, as it will be online-based with no real demonstration of oral skills involved. This includes social isolation: many students will feel isolated and alone when completing distant education courses and can have a profound effect on their ability to focus, concentrate and actually take advantage of the course they are taking.
Some may say that the disadvantages weigh out the advantages; however some will also say the opposite. The truth is, distant learning can be more effective for different courses – it really depends on the type of course you, the student, will be taking.
It is also good to realize however, that all disadvantages are being constantly taken into account by developers. In the future, it is expected that many distant learning programs will implement new features that will allow some of the disadvantages to no longer apply. This is a relatively new technology today after a lot of expansion, and the idea has great potential for years to come. It is highly likely that the idea will grow. It is interesting that the idea had first been put in use around 1995. Since then, a large amount of improvements have been covered. Today, there are thousands more businesses that use some kind of distant learning system. We should recognize that there must be many more improvements that will be made in the next few years to come, and it is expected that the idea will again become far more popular than it is even today. Disadvantages may squander quality and effectiveness, but they also give developers room for improvement.